LYRICS OF THE WEEK to “Spoonman” with a Worthwhile Quote From Chris Cornell

Jacket for the Spoonman single.

When asked how Cornell beat all his addictions he stated, “It was a long period of coming to the realization that this way (sober) is better. Going through rehab, honestly, did help… it got me away from just the daily drudgery of depression and either trying to not drink or do drugs or doing them and you know, they give you such a simple message that any idiot can get and it’s just over and over, but the bottom line is really, and this is the part that is scary for everyone, the individual kinda has to want it…not kinda, you have to want it and to not do that crap anymore or you will never stop and it will just kill you.”

In a 2011 interview, Cornell said the major change with the reformed Soundgarden is a lack of alcohol: “The biggest difference I noticed… and we haven’t even really talked about it: There are no bottles of Jack Daniel’s around or beers. And we never talked about… it’s just not there.”

From Wikipedia:
Chris Cornell (born Christopher John Boyle; July 20, 1964 – May 17, 2017) was an American musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist, primary songwriter and rhythm guitarist for Seattle rock band Soundgarden and as lead vocalist and songwriter for the group Audioslave. He was also known for his numerous solo works and soundtrack contributions since 1991, and as founder and frontman for Temple of the Dog, the one-off tribute band dedicated to his late friend Andrew Wood.

Cornell was known for his role as one of the architects of the 1990s grunge movement, for his extensive catalog as a songwriter and for his near four octave vocal range as well as his powerful vocal belting technique. He released four solo studio albums, Euphoria Morning (1999), Carry On (2007), Scream (2009), Higher Truth (2015) and the live album Songbook (2011). Cornell received a Golden Globe Award nomination for his song “The Keeper” which appeared in the film Machine Gun Preacher and co-wrote and performed the theme song to the James Bond film Casino Royale (2006), “You Know My Name”. He was voted “Rock’s Greatest Singer” by readers of Guitar World, ranked 4th in the list of “Heavy Metal’s All-Time Top 100 Vocalists” by Hit Parader, 9th in the list of “Best Lead Singers of All Time” by Rolling Stone, and 12th in MTV’s “22 Greatest Voices in Music”.

[I picked this song because my late step-father was an awesome spoon player. The song really describes him although it was written about Artis the Spoonman, a street musician in Seattle.]

Written by Soundgarden’s frontman Chris Cornell, “Spoonman” was released on February 15, 1994 as the first single from the band’s fourth studio album, Superunknown (1994). “Spoonman” is often credited as one of the songs that launched Soundgarden’s career into the mainstream. The song peaked at number three on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number nine on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. A remixed version of the song by Steve Fisk appears on the “Black Hole Sun” and “My Wave” singles. The song was included on Soundgarden’s 1997 greatest hits album, A-Sides and the 2010 compilation album Telephantasm.